tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333928426153199502.post8970628119926914690..comments2017-03-14T20:34:41.926-07:00Comments on Pawsitively Cats: What is the connection among Toxoplasma, cats, and pregnant women? Pawsitively Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09333741268382963135noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333928426153199502.post-37200314233636817202014-06-15T20:15:32.541-07:002014-06-15T20:15:32.541-07:00Dear misterbatz,
Thanks for your comments. The m...Dear misterbatz, <br />Thanks for your comments. The most important thing a woman can do is to be tested for antibodies against toxoplasma and then follow precautions based on her risk factors discussed with her doctor. Following those precautions will help protect her and the fetus during the entire pregnancy.<br />Indoor only cats can become infected with toxoplasma in various ways, such as interactions with newly acquired cats, encountering prey in the house such as mice or small reptiles, escaping outside and becoming exposed, etc. <br />Cats can release millions of unsporulated oocysts and that is the main reason for avoiding scooping the litterbox when pregnant, since not all of the oocysts will be removed with scooping alone, regardless of frequency. The active oocysts can survive in the litterbox for months if it is not properly sanitized. <br />Due to the variability of freezing temperatures on toxoplasma, I believe following safe meat handling procedures is a better general guide, since it will also help limit exposure to Salmonella, E. coli, and other potentially harmful diseases as well.Pawsitively Catshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09333741268382963135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333928426153199502.post-45703506594468281602014-06-09T12:10:22.393-07:002014-06-09T12:10:22.393-07:00Thanks for this informative piece. If I could offe...Thanks for this informative piece. If I could offer a few scattered thoughts... <br /><br />First, while likelihood of a pregnant woman passing on her infection is higher in the first trimester, the severity of disease in the baby is worse when infection happens later in pregnancy.<br /><br />Second, indoor cats aren&#39;t likely to become infected at all, so I don&#39;t think avoiding kitty litter is necessary in that case. (I guess unless you also have a rodent infestation...)<br /><br />Third, it takes oocyst &quot;eggs&quot; 1-5 days to sporulate (become infective), so cleaning the cat box twice a day is likely to mitigate those risks if a partner or family member isn&#39;t around.<br /><br />Fourth, freezing meat is effective at killing Toxo, but the time it takes to do it depends on temperature -- 24 hours at 10F should do it, but at 20 F it likely takes two weeks, and above that much longer.misterbatzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03865970372978112220noreply@blogger.com